Salvation Army building taken off the market

Putting the Salvation Army building up for sale at 630 Tuolumne St. was a sign of the times.

Three years later, it's time the sign goes. And Captain Jonathan Harvey is one happy guy.

"This is an exciting day," Harvey said. "My cries have been heard and I think the cries of the community have been heard."

With the removal of the real estate sale sign, the local branch of the national faith-based nonprofit humanitarian organization isn't going anywhere, Harvey said. Not that it ever was, but with the economic collapse, the belt was tightening.

"The biggest thing we hope to communicate is that No. 1, we never left. We've always been here. We've never abandoned Vallejo," said Harvey. "No. 1, we're about to revitalize what we're doing here and bring some new life and new energy to the Salvation Army in Vallejo."

The 8,000-square foot building was put up for sale because of "the tough realities of the economy that hit us," Harvey said. "There was a period of time when it was hard to keep the doors open."

Though a smaller, more financially feasible facility wasn't found in Vallejo, it's probably for the best long-term, Harvey said.

"If we sold and had gone into a much smaller building, we would have been limited for future growth," Harvey said. "I think the economy is starting to rebound, though this building is worth a lot less today than it was five years ago."

Harvey said he received word from the regional headquarters in Sacramento that the corporate Salvation Army in Los Angeles approved of removing the building for sale.

"I've been advocating to reinvest in Vallejo," said Harvey.

What the new approach for the old building becomes is being reevaluated, Harvey said.

"At some point, we'll enter a remodeling program," he said.

Harvey said the community will be invited to meet at the facility to discuss its needs and "the services we can best provide and then look at how we can provide them."

Harvey and his wife, Capt. Vickie Harvey, were tugged into Suisun City to get the impressive Kroc Community Center into gear. Now that there is a director of operations, the Harveys can return some of their focus on Vallejo.

Harvey said 2,000 people a month are served out of the Tuolumne building, including 600 families on USDA assistance, "so we must be meeting a need. Otherwise we wouldn't have people lined up at the door every day. People find their

way here."

Joanne Dunsmore, the site's office manager, said she's glad the Salvation Army is staying put.

"It's good we have a lot of space. I want to make sure we stay here," Dunsmore said. "People were worried. They thought we were going to close. They heard the rumors."

Harvey said he hoped the community helped keep the Salvation Army surviving locally via financial assistance.

"The Salvation Army can only survive with community support," he said. "Stand by and help us accomplish things we need to do."